Same But Different

• Takirah Coulson, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2015

Hi,

I bet you can’t guess what my name is. It is Setara and I am an eleven year old refugee from Afghanistan. My name may sound funny to you however I know a girl named Takirah and that sounds funny to me but every name is different right.

I have long black hair, big brown eyes and dark skin. I also cover my hair with a scarf because that’s what girls do in Afghanistan, and to some of you I would be considered different but I’m not I am the same as all of you.

I came to Australia two years ago with my family when I was nine years old. The reason we left Afghanistan is because it became too dangerous for us to stay there. In Afghanistan the war is very scary. Big, loud bombs explode at anytime and anywhere. One day we were at the markets and we heard a big explosion that collapsed a nearby building. It was soooo loud I actually wet my pants and it felt like my ear drum exploded . A lot of people were injured and some died, there were ambulances everywhere. This is when my parents decided it was time for us to leave Afghanistan.

Now we are refugees in Australia. I love this country, especially because I can go to school now and we feel very safe

Unfortunately, there are some people here that aren’t very nice.

They tease me because I wear different clothes to them and eat

different food to them. But I don’t think I am that different.

Many people like me really wanted to stay in their own country with their family and friends, but because of the wars they had to escape. It doesn’t matter if someone wears a funny scarf on their head or longer clothes than you It doesn’t matter if someone has black skin and frizzy hair. It doesn’t matter if they eat completely different food to you like cockroaches. We are not aliens from outer space. We are human beings , we are the same as you.

Just because we are different does not mean we are bad people. We do miss our home in Afghanistan where all our family and friends are. However Australia is now our new home where we feel safe, happy and healthy. Sometimes I just wish everyone understood how sad I sometimes feel when we are teased.

Luckily I have made some really nice friends at my school. They help me with learning English and making me feel welcome. All of my friends have different backgrounds. One is from Macedonia, one is from Spain and Italy and the other one is from England. They understand how I feel when people call me “different “

When I get teased I think we are all different in our own way so why am I the only one getting teased because I do things differently.

Yes we are all the same as we are all humans and have feelings. However no two people are exactly the same. I like being different to you and you and you. That’s what makes our world a more fun, interesting and a diverse place to live in.